The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) India recently announced a highly revamped men’s T20I squad for the upcoming tours. Ireland and England, next to Asian Games list. The selection brought massive headlines, including Shreyas Iyer to take the reins of captaincy from Suryakumar Yadav and a historical maiden challenge for the 15-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshiit’s a glaring gap that has sparked intense debate. Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh strongly supported and openly expressed his disappointment Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Rajat Patidar Yet again after the middle-order maestro was left out of India’s T20I plans.
Harbhajan Singh slams selectors for ignoring Rajat Patidar in India’s T20I plans
Taking to social media shortly after the team’s official announcement, Harbhajan was tight-lipped about the RCB skipper’s release. The legendary bouncer asked what more the right-hander had to do in the domestic and franchise scene to earn the voters’ trust.
“Rajat Patidar was missing from the Indian squad. What else should he do? Scored 501 runs with a strike rate of close to 200. Unfair 💔 @rrjjt_01 Easily the best middle order in India. Proper striker with good technique”, Harbhajan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Harbhajan’s public criticism focuses on the selection conundrum that has baffled fans and pundits alike. Although Tilak Varma The absence of Patidar, who has been promoted to vice-captain and is a clear move towards a younger T20I core, stands out as a massive anomaly, especially given his unparalleled impact in high-pressure situations over the past two years.
Rajat Patidar was missing from the Indian squad. What else should he do? He scored 501 runs and the strike rate reached around 200. Unfair 💔 @rrjjt_01 Easily the best middle order in India. Proper striker with good technique
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) June 6, 2026
Stats and leaderboards backfire
Harbhajan’s frustration stems from Patidar’s meteoric rise as both a devastating batsman and an elite leader. He led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a historic, maiden IPL title in 2025, breaking an agonizing 18-year trophy drought for the franchise. Far from being a one-season wonder, Patidar doubled down on his success in the 2026 season by turning RCB to back-to-back silverware, cementing his reputation as a modern-day icon.
From a purely analytical point of view, Patidar’s numbers make it incredibly difficult to justify his exclusion in a format that heavily rewards intent and hitting boundaries:
| Metric | Rajat Patidar (IPL 2026 Stats) |
| Total Runs | 501 runs in 15 matches |
| Holiday rate | About 200 hours of continuous |
| Average shot | 41.75 |
| Six cleared | 42 max |
Patidar has uniquely mastered the art of biological acceleration in the middle overs, unleashing spin and pace with equal ferocity without sacrificing textbook cricket technique. By picking an incredibly young list but skipping India’s most in-form, championship-winning middle-order anchor, the selectors have set up a high-stakes narrative for the upcoming tours. Whether this youthful experience will pay off remains to be seen, but so far, Patidar’s omission remains an unresolved debate in Indian cricket.
Also READ: Rajat Patidar’s captaincy earns praise from Sachin Tendulkar after RCB’s back-to-back IPL titles
